Everyone is familiar with the self-squeezing, hand-operated, floor mops sold in drug stores, department stores, hardware stores, and just about any place that one can buy cleaning fluid and cleaning materials. These mops are produced in great quantity by many manufacturers and thus are available at a very low price. The device basically consists of a handle with a disposable, removable, sponge-like, water absorbent material at one end and a hand-actuated, squeezing mechanism carried by the handle which can be used to squeeze the sponge and release the water contained therein. Because of their widespread use, the mechanisms are virtually trouble free and can be used just about by any one of any age who has minimal abilities of coordination and strength. For all practical purposes, these mops appear in just about every household and just about everyone knows how to use them. Unfortunately, the self-squeezing, hand-operated mop has only one use and only one device can be attached to the operating mechanism (i.e., a cellular water absorbent sponge-like refill).
One problem facing landowners is the problem of removing debris from the land, especially where that debris comes from trees. For example, pine trees drop their cones; apple and pear trees will drop their fruit, unless it is picked. According to the Florida Department of Forestry, the number of pine cones falling to the ground depends on the time of the year and type of tree. For example, some pine trees never lose their cones. Some pine trees take two years for a cone to mature; about every four to seven years is a "seed year" when many pine cones will fall to the ground. With regard to apples and pears and similar fruit, the loss of fruit is an annual event. The problem of fruit dropping in southern climates is especially troublesome because it decays rapidly due to the warm temperature and yard work is exhausting in the hot sun. Of course, there is always the problem of soda cans, wads of paper, rags, and similar trash that seems to fall to the ground almost continuously.
Picking up pine cones, dropped fruit, and similar debris is not an easy and pleasant task. It is especially not easy for older persons and persons who have difficulty bending and stooping to the ground. A common device which might be used for this task is the familiar stick with the nail at one end. Such a tool, unfortunately, is not very good to pick up soft objects, such as partially decomposed fruit, or even relatively solid objects, such as pine cones. Tools especially made for such tasks are not known to exist. It is almost impossible to find such a tool at a lawn and garden shop.
Of course, the art has disclosed many devices which can be used for picking up and removing paper and trash. For the most part, these tools are nothing more than a variation of the stick with the nail at one end. The following U.S. Pat. Nos. are representative: 1,970,093; 3,183,031; 3,873,143.
Instead of a single nail, some tools have been proposed consisting of a plurality of spiked projections. The following U.S. Pat. Nos. are representative: 1,246,487; 2,738,215; 3,633,958.
There also have been tools disclosed which resemble a claw which can be operted without having to stoop or bend to the ground. The following U.S. Pat. Nos. are representative: 2,507,655; 3,105,715; 3,146,015; 3,194,597; 3,328,066; 3,446,525.
Unfortunately, these tools are not known to be commercially available. In addition, a study of the tools will show that, for the most part, they are very complicated and would be undoubtedly expensive to produce. They are clearly not a tool that would be manufactured in great quantities, unless the market was known to exist. They are simply too expensive and beyond the reach of the ordinary homeowner. Thus, a problem exists for which there has not been a practical solution. With the life span of Americans increasing, and the attractiveness of gardening and home care as a rewarding use of leisure time and the ever increasing demand for well kept and maintained lawns, there is clearly a need for an easily operated, inexpensive, and readily available tool to pick up pine cones, fruit and the like.